


The Last Day

by ultimateslothiraptor



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Closure, Crying, F/F, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Multi, like lots and lots of crying, no beta readers we die like men, this gets very sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultimateslothiraptor/pseuds/ultimateslothiraptor
Summary: Her vision faded. Her eyes began to close. Her arm, twisted behind her and painfully writing out the name of her killer, went limp. This was the end.I’m sorry, everyone. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get out and make sure you were all okay.I’m sorry, Makoto. I lied to you. I used you. And now I’ll never live to apologize for it.I’m sorry, Leon. I targeted you, tried to kill you. I deserved to have it turned on me.I’m sorry…For a moment, Sayaka Maizono ceased to exist.And then in the next moment, she didn’t.Basically everyone who died in Danganronpa 1 has been resurrected for one day and has to choose how to spend their last day alive.
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Celestia Ludenberg, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 23
Kudos: 198





	1. Post-Death Getaway

Sayaka opened her eyes. She was on a beach – a beautiful, pristine beach that she’d never seen before. She’d performed at concerts all over the world, but she’d never seen an ocean this clear. _Where am I? How did I…_

_Aren’t I supposed to be dying?_

She looked down at herself. Her arm, which just moments ago had been broken, twisted awkwardly against the wall, was perfectly fine. Her bloodied finger was clean. The kitchen knife piercing through her chest was gone. _Is this heaven?_ she thought. _And if so, why is an attempted murderer like me here?_

“Hey.” A familiar voice spoke up. “Uh, call me crazy, but… didn’t I kill you?”

She jumped to her feet, spun around. A boy was standing there, a boy she recognized instantly. She’d only known him for a few days, but the spiky red hair, the piercings, the laid-back attitude… “Leon!”

He gave her a cautious smile. “Yeah, last thing that happened to me was I was getting pummeled to death by baseballs. You?”

“I think I was writing your name on the wall behind me in blood.”

Leon winced. “Yeah… that ended up getting me killed. Thanks for that.”

Sayaka frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you got me killed. Murdered. Alive’nt.”

“But how? Why? Just what is going on here?”

Just then, a chime sounded across the area. A monitor on a palm tree lit up, displaying some pink and white rabbit thing. Like Monokuma, but brighter, friendlier. “Everyone please come to Jabberwock Park on the central island!” it chirped. “All will be explained once everyone has gathered, so if you want answers, hurry-hurry-hurry!”

Sayaka pointed to the monitor. “I guess we should get going.”  
Leon smacked his head, like he had just figured something out. “Oh yeaaaah, you got killed before all the rules were explained to you! Never mind, I’ll tell you later. Come on.”

Sayaka followed him down the beach, wondering what the hell was going on.


	2. The First and Last Day of Your Afterlife

They got lost twice on their way to Jabberwock Park. It was mostly Leon’s fault. Even though there were signs clearly pointing to where everything was, Leon insisted that there was no way to know if they were walking into a trap or something. Sayaka pointed out that if this really was heaven it wouldn’t make too much sense for them to have traps, to which he replied, “Dude. We’re obviously in hell. You tried to kill me, and then I actually killed you. No way did we end up on God’s nice list. If we’re in a place this nice, it’s cause we’re being tested or sabotaged or something.”

She had to agree with him there, which is why, as nonsensical as his arguments were, she followed him through brambles and thickets for what felt like twenty miles until they arrived at Jabberwock Park. _I don’t remember him being this ridiculous,_ she thought.

There was one upside to their long journey. Sayaka got to hear about what had happened immediately after her death. When she heard the rule about the killer only being able to escape if everyone else was executed, she stopped dead in her tracks. Leon turned around. “Hey, you okay?”

“Makoto…” she whispered. She had just remembered something very important. “Hey!” She ran up to Leon and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Is Makoto alive? Is he okay?”

Leon shrugged. “Last I saw him, yeah. But chill out. Even if he got killed, he’s probably somewhere on this island, right? So don’t sweat it.”

Sayaka relaxed a little. That would make sense. Still, she was shaken. _I almost killed Makoto,_ she thought, disgusted with herself. _If my plan had worked, if Leon had really died because of me… I would have killed Makoto._

Not that there was anything special or different about Makoto. He was a painfully average student with a painfully average appearance and a painfully average personality. The two of them had just happened to go to the same high school, that was all. So why was it that the thought of him dead twisted her stomach in knots?

Not long after that, they crossed the bridge to what the signs indicated was the central island and found their way to Jabberwock Park. Upon arriving there, Sayaka looked out on the sea of people gathered and gasped.

“No way…”

It was almost everyone from the killing game, her would-be classmates. All looking extremely confused. Except…

“Hey.” Sayaka tapped a girl with short black hair on the shoulder. “Excuse me, but who…?”

The girl turned around, and Sayaka gasped. Her hair was different, her expression fixed with determination instead of plastered with a crescent-moon smile, but there was no doubt it was the same girl. This was…

“Mukuro Ikusaba.” The girl fidgeted, as if not quite used to human interaction. “I’ve been getting a lot of that today. I was impersonating my sister, Junko Enoshima, when I died.”

Sayaka thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. It was no less crazy than anything else she’d heard today. Mukuro was visibly uncomfortable, so Sayaka stepped away to scan the rest of the crowd.

It only took her a minute to realize Makoto wasn’t with them.

She didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. On the one hand, the only reason she and Leon, and presumably everyone else, was here was because they were dead. On the other hand… couldn’t there be some darker, more sinister reason for Makoto’s absence?

“Okay!” The same high-pitched voice echoed through the monitors. “It looks like everyone’s gathered here. Time to introduce myself!”

The rabbit-shaped thing that had been projected on the monitor waddled out from behind the massive statue in the center of the park and waved. “I’m Usami!” it said, no longer talking through the monitors. “And I’m your squeezably soft and fluffy teacher!”

Hifumi shrieked and cowered behind a palm tree. “A-a-are you gonna make us kill each other agaaaaaaaaaaaaain?”

“Silence, pig!” Celeste snapped. For some reason she was no longer speaking in an accent. “I would most like to hear this thing explain itself.”

“Okie-dokie! Usami said cheerfully. “Now, then. As you may have realized by now, everyone on this island is dead.”

Mondo, who had been crying his eyes out with Taka off to the side for the entire time, looked up. “Huh? Whaddaya mean, we’re dead?”

“You were all victims of the Mutual Killing Game hosted by that vile Monokuma. Either you were killed by someone here, or you killed someone here and were executed.”

Sayaka raised a hand, her heart racing. Usami looked over and beamed with pride. “Oh boy, it seems like I’m getting respected as a real teacher! Yes?”

“What about the people who aren’t here?” she asked, trying desperately to keep her voice under control.

“Everyone not here – Kyoko, Makoto, Hiro, Byakuya, Toko, and Hina – survived the game. Due to Makoto’s luck and Kyoko’s clever intuition, they were able to escape unharmed.”

Usami explained everything that had happened since Sayaka’s murder. It was, in a word, insane, and she probably wouldn’t have believed it if she weren’t, you know, dead. “Wow… I guess I shouldn’t have underestimated Makoto,” she mumbled with a weak laugh.

“Now, then! The reason you’re all here today.” Usami’s expression turned grim. “This is some not-so-great news, but… though you have been resurrected, you only have a day to live.”

Silence fell across the island.

“You are all in the Neo World Program,” Usami explained. “Through Chihiro’s AI technology and pieces of each of your DNA, we were able to revive all of you from the dead. However… as I mentioned, this is a computer program. You all only exist as simulations.”

Leon stepped forward. “I hear you, but why do we only have a day to live? Is this some horror movie bullshit where we’re gonna die in even more gruesome ways every time we come back to life?”

“Leon!” Taka shouted, covering a trembling Chihiro’s ears. “You’re scaring him. Hasn’t he been through enough already?”  
“No, but I’ve got a point, don’t I?” He looked around. “I mean, just what the hell is going on?”

Usami grimaced. “That’s the tough part, I’m afraid. You see, I explained to you about Future Foundation and how they used this program to rehabilitate the Remnants of Despair. Well… not everyone approves of you coming back. Makoto and the rest of them had to pull an awful lot of strings just to get this one day. Since it’s such a drain on resources, well… the program will be deactivated at sundown. You will all, effectively, die once again.”

“Bullshit!” Mondo snarled. “Why bring us back if you’re just gonna kill us again?”

“We wanted… we wanted a chance to say goodbye.”

Sayaka’s heart skipped a beat. Another figure had stepped out from behind the statue, seeming to close an invisible door behind him. A figure she knew well, one she had seen just hours before she had died.

Makoto Naegi stood there, tears streaming down his face.


	3. Don't Leave Me Behind

“You remember Makoto, right?” Usami said cheerily. “He was –”

Before she could finish, Sayaka ran forward and embraced him.

“Sayaka…” Makoto held her close. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

She giggled. “I could say the same thing about you! Although for me you’ve only been gone a few hours.” Despite her lighthearted tone, there were tears starting to form in her eyes as well.

“I…” Makoto’s voice got choked up. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop you from going through with your plan, and that got you killed. I could barely even find your killer on my own. Kyoko had to help me.”

“True that,” Leon commented. “Like, 11037 was such an obvious clue, and he didn’t even notice it. She had to point it out.”

Makoto looked at him, wiping his eyes. “Oh man, I can’t even be mad. Everyone… I’m so glad to see you.”

“Is… is Kyoko coming? Or anyone else from Future Foundation?” Celeste asked.

He shrugged. “They might stop by, but I doubt it. Why? Oh, do you want to say goodbye to her?” Makoto frowned. “You two weren’t really close though, were you? Why would you want that?”

Celeste looked away, her face a perfect mask. “It doesn’t matter.”

“…Right. Anyway.” Makoto forced a smile through his tears. “This is, you know, your last day alive, so if anyone wants to talk to me, I’ll be right here. If not, this island has a lot of different stuff on it. Feel free to do whatever you want until… well, until time runs out.”

He cleared his throat. Everyone looked around uneasily, some stunned, some resigned. Slowly, they began to disperse, and Makoto took a seat at the base of the statue, trying to compose himself.

Sayaka sat next to him. “So this is really it, huh?” she said, a sad smile on her face. “Our last day on Earth… well, not on Earth, I guess.”

Makoto nodded. “Yeah. I’m so sorry it had to turn out like this.”

Sayaka shook her head. “No, it was my fault. I’m the one who tried to kill someone.” She laughed. “I guess I wasn’t a very good assistant, huh?”

This time Makoto’s smile was genuine. “You were the best.”

She brushed a hand against his hair. “Hey, you got a haircut! Looks very adult.”

He looked away, blushing. “Kyoko made me get it. Said she didn’t want me to look like a kid around everyone in Future Foundation. I think it looks kinda stupid.”

“Hey. I think it looks great.”

She was glad she’d been able to cheer him up, but something was still bothering her. “Is it true?” she asked.

Makoto blinked. “What do you mean? Is what true?”

“You know… that everyone close to us is dead or kidnapped. Is that part of it really true?”  
Tears started welling up in Makoto’s eyes again. “Yeah. They got my little sister. She’s okay now, and we talk all the time, but… they got my parents too, and we still don’t know if they made it.”

“But has there been any actual investigation into it?” Sayaka pressed. “Like, do they have everyone’s bodies and everything?”

Makoto put a hand on her arm. “I know it’s a lot to wrap your head around. But it’s okay. You’ll get to see them again soon enough.”

Slowly, Sayaka began to shake her head. “No. No, there’s no way. Those people were – _are_ – my friends. I don’t care if I saw a video of their dead bodies. There’s no way it’s real… there’s no way… there’s no way…”

Her gaze became wild. “I need to get out of here!” she shouted, standing up. “I need to make sure they’re okay! I need to take my life back! Everything I worked so hard for… all the friends I made… it can’t all be gone!”

She raced around to the back of the statue where she’d seen Makoto come in through some kind of invisible door. She pounded at it, screaming. “HEY! LET ME OUT OF HERE!”

“Sayaka…” Makoto made his way toward her cautiously. “Even if they were still alive, I couldn’t take you back. You’re a computer program now… as weird as that sounds to say. You’re stuck here.”

Sayaka shook her head again, furiously now. “No way. No way. No way. My life…” She collapsed onto her knees. “I need my life back,” she whispered.

Makoto knelt down next to her, took her hands. “I know how you feel,” he said. “It took me a while to adjust to Future Foundation. But everything’s going to be okay.”

“How the hell is it going to be okay?” she snapped. “We’re about to DIE!”

Then Makoto pulled her close to him again, and suddenly that fact didn’t matter so much anymore.

“I know this isn’t really a good situation,” he whispered. “I know you’ve lost so much. But… I’ll stay by your side for as long as I can. Until the end, I won’t leave you behind. I promise.”

She pulled away, looked into his eyes. Saw that he was being perfectly sincere. Her heart melted, and she laughed, wiping her eyes. “No, that’s… that’s okay. You can spend your day with someone else. No need to hang around looking after lil’ old me.” She looked more closely at him and laughed again. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to start running into walls trying to get to the real world or something like that.”

“Hey, how did you…”

They smiled, and said it at the same time. “I’m psychic.”


	4. Bandmates

Sayaka stepped out from behind the statue, feeling different. Feeling nothing at all.

There was a hollow pit in her stomach where something important should’ve been. A pit that could never be filled, because she was about to die. She was about to die, and everything she’d worked so hard for her whole life would go to waste.

Not that she could tell Makoto that. She’d gotten her goodbye with him. She didn’t deserve some prolonged, day-long adventure with him, not when she’d manipulated him and almost gotten him killed. He deserved to spend today with someone he trusted, someone who wouldn’t stab him in the back.

So what now?

Sayaka looked around. Mondo and Taka were trying to console a shaking Chihiro; Hifumi had skulked off somewhere saying he was going to watch Princess Piggles; Celeste and Sakura had disappeared. Makoto was talking to Mukuro, and Leon… Leon was looking around hopelessly, seeming not to know what to do.

As she watched him wander around Jabberwock Park, she couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Sure, he was kind of an idiot, but just like the rest of them, he had just found out he was about to die and didn’t know what to do about it. It was the same kind of hopelessness she was feeling right now, which was why she went up to him.

Leon looked over at her, his expression sullen. “What is it?”

Sayaka took a deep breath and tried to summon all the positivity she could muster. “Do you maybe want to hang out with me?”

He looked away. “Why would I?”

“Well… when we all met for the first time, you said you wanted to be in a band. I could help you with that.”

His eyes lit up. The stress of the situation seemed to fade from his face. “Woah, seriously?” he asked excitedly. “Could you teach me how to sing?”

Sayaka giggled. “Yeah, sure! And if you want to learn an instrument, I took piano lessons when I was younger.”

Leon shook his head. “Nah, piano is pretty lame. But man – I can’t believe I’m gonna get singing lessons from the Ultimate Pop Sensation! This is so totally awesome!” He winked. “And hey, if I’m gonna die, I wanna go out achieving my dream! That’s the way to think, right?”

“You sure came around to all this quickly!”

“Well, yeah!” Leon pumped a fist in the air. “I mean, come on! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Although… how are we gonna find a place to practice on this island?”

“I’m sure we could just ask.” Sayaka walked up to Usami, ignoring Leon’s protests that they still didn’t know exactly what the rabbit thing was. “Hey, is there anywhere we could go to practice our singing? Leon wants me to give him a music lesson.”

Usami clapped her hands together. “It’s just so wonderful seeing you students get to interact in such an amazing environment! If you’re looking for a place to practice music, I’d recommend the Titty Typhoon.”

“The what now?”

The rabbit grimaced. “It’s a very foul name, I know. But it is a music venue located on the third island. And don’t worry – we’ve gone over the place very thoroughly to make sure everything is completely age-appropriate!”

Sayaka nodded hesitantly. “Well… I can’t say I’m thrilled that my last performance will be somewhere with _that_ name, but… I guess there’s no other way.”

She walked back to Leon. “So this isn’t ideal, but…”

“The Titty Typhoon, huh?”

They stood in front of the building. It looked like… neither of them could come up with a good metaphor because they’d never seen anything like it, really, but it looked like what they imagined an old strip club would be like. “Are you sure this is the right place?” Leon asked.

Sayaka nodded. “Unless this is some kind of weird prank, yeah.” She looked over at him, shrugged, and pushed the door open.

To their relief, it did appear to be a music venue. There was a stage, a microphone, and everything, as well as various instruments lying around. “Awright!” Leon clapped his hands together. “Now _this_ is what I’m talking about!” He bounded up to the stage. Sayaka had to giggle at his enthusiasm. He fiddled around with the microphone like he had never seen one in his life. “This is so awesome! Seriously, it’s like a real concert setting out here!”

“Hey, be careful with that!” Sayaka laughed, joining him on stage. “This is a really good quality microphone. Wonder how much this cost.”

“We’re, like, inside a simulation,” Leon pointed out. “They could probably just tweak some code or whatever to up the quality.”

Sayaka giggled again. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Leon looked at her curiously. “You’re pretty happy for someone who’s about to get deleted out of existence.”

_You’re bouncing around like an excited puppy, you know._ She didn’t say that; she didn’t want to sound passive-aggressive. Instead she just shrugged. “I don’t know. I… I got closure from someone I never thought I’d see again. And hey, if it really is our last day alive, we might as well enjoy it, right?”

Leon shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just kinda hard to wrap my head around, you know? I mean, I didn’t really get to do anything with my life. I’ll never have a girlfriend, I’ll never join a band…” He grinned. “But at least I’ll get to do my first and last live performance with the kickass superstar Sayaka Maizono, right?”

Sayaka blushed. “Well, I don’t know about all that… but I’m glad we can be positive about it!”

That good mood lasted for about three minutes. Then Leon started to sing.

It took everything Sayaka had not to cover her ears. He was covering some punk anthem, and his voice… it was just bad. He was so off-key that Sayaka couldn’t even tell what key the song was supposed to be in. And he sang so loudly, and with such confidence… it would’ve been cute if it weren’t so depressing.

Leon seemed to notice Sayaka wincing, because he stopped and asked, “Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Sayaka tried to smile. “Your singing definitely needs some work, but, um…”

Within a second Leon seemed to deflate. He pouted, threw the microphone to the ground, and ran out of the building. “Well,” Sayaka said to an empty room. “That’s one way to react, I guess.”

Part of her just wanted to curl up into a ball and wait for it all to be over. She had gone out of her way to be nice to Leon, give him a chance to fulfill his dream, and the second he got a tiny bit of criticism, he ran out of the room like a child. Sayaka wasn’t sure she could take any more insanity.

Rallying all her strength, she took a deep breath and stepped outside.

Leon was sitting on the ground, leaning against the building, his head in his hands. Sayaka couldn’t be sure, but she thought he was crying. _Give me a break,_ she thought.

She held her tongue and sat next to him. “Are you okay?” she asked gently. “I really didn’t mean to upset you.”

Leon shook his head. “Nah. I’m just kinda pissed. Just… everything has always come easy to me. I never had to try at baseball at all, but I’m a total star. I’m not a great student or anything, but I’ve always been able to pass my classes without studying much. And now that there’s this one thing I really want to do, it turns out I totally suck, and I’ll never get a chance to improve.” He looked at her curiously. “How much work did it take for you to become the Ultimate Pop Sensation?”

“Gosh…” She felt kind of bad now for looking down on him. “I don’t know. I’ve been working really hard my whole life, and I rarely get to take time off. If you slow down for even a second, you get swallowed up, forgotten. I’ve always had to do my best, constantly.” Even if she couldn’t relate to him, she understood feeling frustrated when you came up short of your own expectations. Not that Leon had any reason to expect anything from himself, but still.

Leon laughed bitterly. “Well, that’s probably good. My work ethic’s crap. Even if I got a chance I’d never get to be a musician anyway.”

“Why do you want to be a musician anyway?”

“Ah…” Leon looked away. “It’s kinda embarrassing to admit this to a girl, but… there’s this chick I wanna impress.”

“Oh.” Sayaka had kind of been hoping for a deeper motivation than that. “Well… do you enjoy it? Singing, I mean.”

A smile made its way across Leon’s face. “I dunno about that, but it sure does feel good. Even if I suck at it, it feels pretty badass. Like I’m some cool rock star instead of just some loser baseball player.”

“Then let me help you improve.”

Leon looked at her in confusion. “Huh? But… what’s the point?”

“Well, we’ve got a few hours left, right?” She stood up and extended her hand. “You could at least improve a little bit. And hey, even if you don’t get any better, it’ll still be fun, right?”

He grinned and took her hand. “You’re really cool, you know that? If we weren’t gonna die in a few hours I’d ask for your number.”

Sayaka didn’t really know how to respond to that, but it felt good that he was treating her normally. In fact, the whole situation felt almost normal. Leon rushed back into the building, motioning Sayaka to follow him.

_Well, there are worse ways to spend the last day of your life._ She ran after him, feeling warm where the emptiness had been. Feeling glad that Leon didn’t hate her for getting him killed.

Feeling excited that she would get to spend the rest of her life with a friend.


	5. Stoic Soldier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update; school is a bitch. But I'm back, and now you all get to enjoy the ramblings of my Naekusaba trash brain. Yay.

_Is this what despair feels like?_ Mukuro Ikusaba wondered. _Because if so, I don’t know what Junko was thinking. She murdered me just for a taste of this, but this… this is the worst thing I’ve ever felt in my entire life._

The knowledge that they were all about to die weighed heavy on Mukuro. She’d lived in active warzones, she’d been on the field of battle more times than she could count, but with her talent, there was never any doubt that she’d wind up unscathed. Now, despite her years of experience, despite all the gruesome acts she had committed to hone her skills, there was nothing she could do.

Mukuro shook her head. No, Junko had to have known what she was doing. Junko was a genius. She saw so many things that Mukuro didn’t, and the appeal of despair had to be one of them.

“Hey.” She looked up, and her heart skipped a beat. There he was. The boy she liked. The boy who had been the first person to smile at her. Makoto Naegi, still smiling. “We’ve met, but I don’t think I’ve, well, seen this side of you. Have I, Mukuro?”

She looked down again, blushing. “I guess not. Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine!” He continued to look at her with that easygoing smile of his, and something occurred to her.

“Hey… why am I here?”

“Um…” Makoto laughed nervously. “Do you need me to go over it again? You’re dead. Junko killed you.”

“No, I know, but… I don’t see Junko here, so why am I? I was her accomplice. I was one of the ‘Despair Sisters’, part of the Ultimate Despair. Why do I get a free pass but she doesn’t?”

“Because… well, you’re just as much of a victim of Junko as all of us.” He smiled. “And because I never got to know you, like, as you are. Not to mention you never really hurt anyone.”

Mukuro looked at him incredulously. “I worked together with Junko. We tried to kill you all. We did kill your friends.”

Makoto looked down. “Yeah, but… _you_ didn’t. You ended up getting betrayed. And, well, I think you deserve some closure. Besides, like I said, I want to get to know who you really are.”

That was something Mukuro couldn’t wrap her head around. “Why would you want to get to know me when I was part of everything horrible that happened to you.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Makoto looked at her again, smiling. “Because we’re classmates. We were friends for two years, and even if I don’t remember it, I know you must be a good person.”

_Why are you so naïve, Makoto? Why are you so optimistic? You’ve got no reason to be. I’m a mercenary. I kill people. That’s what I do. Why would you ever think I could be trusted?_

But despite that, it felt… nice. She was glad to be trusted, as misplaced as that trust might be. And she was glad that someone wanted to get to know her, even if she was just a useless bitch like Junko had made it obvious to her that she was. “Thank you.”

“So…” Makoto looked around. “We’ve got plenty of time left. What do you want to do?” 

Mukuro looked up sharply. “Hang on. You want to spend the day… with me?”

“Yeah!” Makoto laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. Besides, there’s no one else here I really need closure with, and I’d like to get to know you before you die.”

“Yeah…” She blushed. “I’d like to get to know you too. You… you seem really nice. I don’t think I’ve met anyone like you before.”

Now Makoto was blushing. “Oh, come on, I’m sure that’s not true!” he said, rubbing his neck. “Now come on! Where do you want to go?”

He had been expecting for her to say something normal, like the theme park or the beach. Instead, she asked, “Did I read that sign wrong, or is there really a military base here?”

_Well, I guess I should’ve expected that from the Ultimate Soldier._ “Yeah, but… you’ve been doing that kind of stuff your whole life. Don’t you want to do something new?”

Mukuro hesitated. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… this is where I feel the most comfortable. We can do something different if you want, but…”

As uncomfortable as this turn of events was making Makoto, what he really wanted was for her to enjoy the day. “No, it’s okay. Let’s check it out.”

“Awesome!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement, which Makoto had to admit was adorable, if a little disturbing. She took off full speed for the fifth island.

It took Makoto a full ten minutes to catch up to her, panting and sweating. During that time she had somehow managed to get behind the wheel of a tank. “Woah!” he shouted, skidding to a stop in front of her. “That’s super dangerous!”

Mukuro laughed, looking almost giddy. “It’s just a simulation, right? Besides, this thing is so cool! I’ve never seen equipment like this! It’s so advanced…” She was looking around, and Makoto got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Are you… are you trying to fire that, Mukuro?” he asked cautiously. “Because we deactivated all that stuff, but still, you probably shouldn’t try that.”

“Aw.” Mukuro’s shoulders slumped.

“Also,” Makoto continued, wanting to put the thought of using weapons out of her mind, “this might just be a simulation, but keep in mind that we’re all really here. If we die here we die, like, for real.”

“Oh, yeah!” That seemed to startle Mukuro. “S-sorry about that. I got a little carried away, I guess.” She slid down from the tank, landing gracefully on her feet.

They looked at each other, neither of them knowing what to say. “So,” Makoto said awkwardly. “What do you want to do now?”

Mukuro shrugged. “I don’t know. These weapons are all cool and junk, but if I don’t get to fire any, it’s like, what’s the point?” She air-twirled a nonexistent strand of hair from a long-gone wig, and Makoto couldn’t help himself. He laughed.

He regretted it a second later, though, because Mukuro’s face went completely red. “Oh God, I’m sorry! It’s just that I keep forgetting I don’t have to pretend to be Junko anymore, and –”

“You’re fine, you’re fine,” Makoto reassured her. “This must be pretty shocking, huh?”

She shrugged again. “I mean… the biggest shock was that Junko would do that to me, but I’m over it now. I understand that she just wanted despair.”

Makoto tilted his head. “Why would you understand that?”

“Well…” Mukuro looked up at the sky. “All she wanted was to feel despair. And if I was worth killing for despair, then… I guess she must’ve really loved me.”

Oddly, Makoto could follow that line of logic. “You’re saying that because she loved you so much, she wanted to feel the despair of losing you?”

Mukuro nodded. “And, well, if it brought Sis some despair, I guess it was worth it. Ah?”  
Her last comment was in regards to Makoto walking up to her and taking her by the shoulders. “Listen,” he said firmly. “I don’t know you all that well, but you didn’t deserve to die. You sure as heck didn’t deserve to die just so your sister could feel despair.”

Mukuro looked at him and her heart melted. He looked so serious, so sincere, and yet so adorable at the same time. Even with that haircut, he still looked pretty adorable.

“Tell me about yourself,” she said suddenly. “I want to know what it was like growing up without a sister who only thought about despair. Not that I didn’t like growing up with Junko,” she added hurriedly, “but, well… I’m just kind of curious about what made you you.”

Makoto smiled. “Sure! I actually have a little sister too, Komaru, and…”

They sat down on the ground, and Mukuro listened intently as Makoto told her stories of his old life. Mundane, boring stories, and yet they were fascinating to her, who had never experienced anything like that. They talked until the virtual sun began to dip below the edges of the buildings.

Makoto looked at his watch. “Oh, shit,” he said, standing up. “I gotta go. We need to be out at least half an hour before sundown, and we’ve only got an hour left.”

“Wait!” Mukuro shouted. Makoto looked at her expectantly.

She swallowed. She wasn’t used to being put on the spot like this. “Thank you,” she said finally. “Thank you for spending your day with me. I’m… I’m sorry we didn’t get more time.”

Makoto nodded. “Yeah, me too. You seem like a really nice person.”

_He doesn’t know, does he? He doesn’t know how kind he is, how everything he does makes you like him that much more. He doesn’t know how cute or endearing he is._

_He probably doesn’t even know that when we started the killing game, he was the first person who smiled at me._

She didn’t say any of that. She wanted to, but she didn’t. Instead she smiled, swallowed the lump in her throat, and said, “You’re really nice too, you know.”

He laughed. “I mean, I guess. But you’re nicer.”  
Mukuro didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. But she’d been alone for so much of her life. She could take another hour. “Well… goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Makoto turned around and walked away, and for the first time in her life, Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, one half of the Ultimate Despair, began to cry.


	6. Like A Family

_You only have one day left to live._

The words had been echoing through Mondo Owada’s mind from the moment he’d heard them. Killing Chihiro had been painful enough. Being executed was hell. But having to leave Taka behind… he never wanted to do that again.

“Bro?” Taka put his hand on his shoulder, looking worried. “It is going to be okay. I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.” Tears started to form in his eyes. “Not again…”

“Don’t go getting all sappy and shit on me, bro,” Mondo choked out through his own tears.

Taka smiled weakly. “You really shouldn’t curse like that, you know. It reflects a low moral character.”

“Yeah…” Mondo wiped his eyes. “I know.”

He looked at Taka, the sincerity and concern in his flaming red eyes, and felt a pang in his heart. He couldn’t leave him. He couldn’t put him through that again, and he couldn’t stand to see Taka die either. Why? Why did he feel like this? He’d never cared this much about anyone before, except maybe his dog and his brother. He had only known Taka for a few days… so why did he feel this way?

_Because I love him._

He couldn’t explain it. Everything about him – the goody-two-shoes attitude, the adorably naïve personality, the relentless determination – everything about him was perfect. They’d only known each other for a few days. But within those few days, he had managed to fall in love with him.

Mondo didn’t have the best experience with romantic relationships. He had a tendency to get freaked out and start screaming, which usually scared away anyone who had been interested. But if this really was their last day alive, he couldn’t afford to get freaked out. He couldn’t afford to hesitate.

All his doubts about whether Taka was really gay or into him at all or even liked him to begin with were banished from his mind as he leaned in and kissed him.

Taka’s eyes widened. “Wmph?”

Mondo pulled away. “Ack, I’m sorry, man. I just thought we had this energy or whatever, and –” Now it was happening. The stress-induced breakdown that always happened whenever he tried to get together with someone. “– and I just needed to try, once, while I still had the chance.”

Taka grimaced, then closed his eyes, and before Mondo knew it they were kissing again, and nothing else in the world mattered, not the fact that they were both guys, not the knowledge that they were about to die, not anything. It was only them.

When they finally broke away the first thing they noticed was Chihiro staring at them.

“Oh… hey, Chihiro.” Mondo rubbed his neck, blushing. “So, uh… how’re you holding up?”

He knew it was a weird question, made even weirder by the fact that he was the one to kill him. He didn’t expect Chihiro to start crying, though. But he did. He sank to the ground, curled up into a ball, and started to sob, shaking violently.

“Chihiro!” Taka shouted, rushing to his aid. “Are you all right?”

Chihiro tried to sit up but fell back to the ground. “Y-yeah, I’m okay. I’m super happy for you guys! I knew you’d be a good match.” He tried to smile and failed. “I-it’s just… how can you be acting so normal? We’re all about to… to…”

“Hey.” Mondo grabbed him by the shoulder, and Chihiro winced, looking up at him. He buried his head in his arms and started crying louder. _Oh yeah… for him it’s only been like half an hour since I murdered him._ “You know why I did what I did, right?” he said, suddenly needing to make sure Chihiro forgave him. “It had nothing to do with you. Well, I guess it kinda did, but I guess… I was jealous.”

Chihiro _hic_ ed. “Really?” He looked at him with watery eyes. “I mean, I know. That was part of what they explained during the recap. But… I can’t believe that someone so strong and manly like you would be jealous of a wimp like me.”

Mondo gritted his teeth, and Chihiro cringed, actually thinking that Mondo would hit him. Instead, he grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. “You’re not weak. Don’t you ever say that about yourself. You’re strong, and brave, and you were the only one outta all of us who had the guts to try to get past your weakness instead of runnin’ away like a coward like I did. That’s why I killed you – because in a million years, there’s no way I could be as strong as you.”

“Hauh…” The small boy stumbled, leaning against Mondo. Taka joined him, supporting his other side. “I… I really can’t believe it,” Chihiro whispered. “You really were jealous of me…”

“Yeah!” Taka shouted. “Of course, I don’t mean to condone murder, but you simply must forgive Mondo! His intentions were never to hurt you.”  
“It’s okay,” Mondo said uneasily. “I get it if you don’t wanna forgive me. I did some real horrible shit.”

Chihiro laughed, wiping his eyes. “Don’t be silly. Of course I forgive you.”

Mondo started. “What? Why would you do that?”

He laughed again. “Because you’re my friend. At least… I hope so.”

A smile spread across Mondo’s face, and he hugged Chihiro tight. “Of course I am.”

For a second, Chihiro seemed to forget the situation they were in, and Mondo breathed an internal sigh of relief. Then he looked around, registered the idyllic setting once again, and started visibly shaking. “I… I just can’t believe it’s all over,” he choked out, tears coming back on full force. “I can’t believe… my whole life… it’s just… over.”

Mondo and Taka exchanged worried glances. There was nothing they could do about their situation, but neither of them wanted Chihiro to go out feeling like this. Taka nodded and bent down to meet Chihiro’s eyeline. “Hey,” he barked, more aggressively than he meant to. “Do you remember why we were brought here, Chihiro?”

“Um…”

“To say goodbye,” Taka finished for him. “Don’t you see? This is a wonderful opportunity! We get one last day to make peace with each other. You can get rid of any regrets you might have right now!” He smiled at Mondo. “I, for one, am extremely glad we got this chance.”

“Yeah,” Mondo said. “I mean, it’s not great that this is our last day alive, but… it’s been pretty sick so far. So come on!” He looked into Chihiro’s eyes, grinning. “Let’s enjoy ourselves, huh?”

Chihiro wiped his eyes and smiled. “Y-yeah. So… what do you guys want to do?”

A pang of guilt hit Mondo’s heart. He had killed this boy. He had murdered him for such a stupid and insignificant reason, and now he was letting him choose the activity for their last day alive. “Tell ya what. Why don’t you pick? C’mon, you’ve earned that much.”

“Are you sure?” Chihiro asked anxiously. “I mean… what if I mess up? What if I pick something bad and ruin the whole day for you?”

Taka put his hand on his shoulder. “You needn’t fret! We’ll be together, so we’ll find some way to make it fun.” He shifted his feet. “To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really done this before. Done things purely for the sake of entertainment, I mean. But who knows? We could make today the best day ever!”

Mondo shot him a grateful look. _That Taka… he really knows how to get control of a situation, don’t he?_ Taka smiled back at him, and his heart jumped in his chest.

“Um…” Chihiro was lost in thought. “This is kind of cheesy, but… is it okay if we just walk around in the park for a while? It’s so nice here, and I don’t get to experience nature a whole lot.” He finally pried himself up from Mondo and stood on his own feet. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d be doing if you guys weren’t here.”

“Prolly still cryin’ your eyes out.”

Chihiro laughed, embarrassed. “Yeah… not really a high point for me. Come on, let’s go!” He giggled. “This nature isn’t gonna appreciate itself, right?”

Time seemed to slow down as the three of them walked through the park. Birds were chirping (animals hadn’t used to be in the simulation apart from one ranch area, but after some feedback from one of the original participants some harmless wildlife had been added), a cool breeze was blowing… everything felt normal, and they started to actually relax.

Half an hour in, Mondo noticed Taka looking at him uncomfortably. “What is it, bro?”  
“Do you…” He fidgeted. “Do you… want to hold hands… bro?”

Mondo’s face turned completely red. “Uh, y-yeah, totally.”

Their fingers interlocked. Mondo thought his heart might explode. Chihiro, who had been watching them, started to giggle. Mondo looked at him, annoyed. “Ay, what’s so funny?”

He hadn’t meant to snap at him, but to his surprise, Chihiro didn’t get all meek or start apologizing like he normally would. He just kept giggling. “I’m sorry, but… you guys are just so cute!”

“Ah– uh–” Mondo legitimately didn’t know how to respond to that. Taka was staring a hole in the ground. “T-thank you?”

That just made Chihiro laugh more. The two of them were blushing furiously, but they didn’t let go of each other. Mondo was just relieved that Chihiro seemed to have cheered up. And… it felt nice, walking through the park, holding Taka’s hand, with Chihiro alongside them. Almost felt like they were a family.

Then again, that would make Chihiro their adopted kid, and that was just kind of weird.

They lost track of time, wandering through the park, talking about nothing. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Chihiro gasped, and started lightly trembling again.

“What’s wrong?” Taka demanded. Then he looked ahead, and noticed it. The sun was starting to set. “O-oh… oh.”

A jolt of pain ran through Mondo’s heart. He didn’t want to say goodbye. He wasn’t ready for all this to end. None of them were.

But… what could they do?

“Hey.” He let go of Taka’s hand to put an arm around Chihiro’s shoulder. “Let’s watch the sun set, alright?”

“B-but…” Chihiro swallowed. “But when the sun sets… that means…”

“Yeah, I know.” He gazed ahead. “But… with somethin’ so beautiful… there’s worse ways to go, ain’t there?”

Tears were starting to form in Taka’s eyes, but he smiled. “Yes. This will be an excellent last activity. Come on, Chihiro! Let’s find a good spot.”

They decided to set up camp against the massive statue in the center of the park. The sun was slipping below the horizon, turning the sky a beautiful shade of pink. Stars were beginning to come out.

Chihiro sniffed. “Wow…” he said. “You’re… you’re right. I never realized nature could be so amazing.” He was crying now, but he had stopped shaking. He leaned against Mondo, who put his arm around him again.

He looked over at Taka, who was sobbing. “I… I can’t believe this is really the end,” he gasped. “Everything I’ve done… striving so hard to become the best… it was all for nothing.”

Mondo took his hand. He was starting to cry now, too. “Yeah. I… I wanted to be a carpenter. Get a chance to build stuff up instead of just tearin’ it down all the time, you know? And now… fuck, I can’t believe it’s all over.”

Silence. Then…

“Well, at least we’re together, right?” Chihiro, wiping his eyes. Looking up at Mondo desperately, begging him with his eyes to agree.

Mondo smiled and held him close. “Yeah. I’m… I’m so glad I got to meet both of you.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

They looked on, waiting for the end. Grateful that they were able to experience it together.


	7. Interlude, or Wasting Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had to call this an interlude because it's short and has Hifumi in it.

The last person Makoto expected to find hanging around at the beach was Hifumi Yamada. But he was. Granted, he was staring at the monitor – something much less unexpected – watching some strange anime.

“Oh, Mr. Naegi,” he said dully, not looking away from the monitor. “Taking one last scenic stroll?”

Makoto cleared his throat. “Um… us Future Foundation guys are going to be okay, actually. It’s, uh, just you guys that are going to die.”

Hifumi nodded. “Okay then.”

Makoto stood there awkwardly. Hifumi didn’t seem to notice him. Makoto frowned, looked at his watch. He had about an hour until the program was shut down, and he really couldn’t afford to waste time, but he’d already been wanting to kill some time at the beach, and Hifumi seemed so lonely… Makoto sat down next to him.

“So,” he said, desperately trying to think of something to talk about. “What’re you watching?”

The larger boy gestured to the monitor. “Usami let me play Princess Piggles. My beautiful princess… I never wanted to say goodbye, not like this…”

Makoto didn’t know how to respond to that.

“You think I’m pretty lame, huh, Mr. Naegi?”

That startled him. “W-what? No I don’t, Hifumi! Don’t be ridiculous.”

Hifumi sniffed. “Yeah, you say that. It’s worse than being laughed at, you know. That fake pity.” A wicked smile overtook his features. “I enjoyed knocking that look off annoying girls’ faces. They’d come up to me all tentative and nervous, give me that same stupid smile, and I’d scream at them until they started crying.”  
This was extremely disturbing even by the standards of someone who had witnessed the deaths of most of his friends. “Oh. I… didn’t realize you were like that.”

“Yeah, go ahead. Judge me. I don’t care.” A distant look came into his eyes. “As long as I have Princess Piggles, I’ll be fine. She… she was always there for me. It’s only right that I should be there for her right at the end.”

As upsetting as it was that Hifumi would do something like that to random girls, it was sad to see him like this. Makoto couldn’t help but feel that he was lonely, despite how he seemed to want to push everyone away.

He glanced at his watch again. Fifty minutes left now… but he could afford to waste a few more. He looked at the monitor. This Princess Piggles show was… absurd, and kind of terrible, but Makoto could still see the merit. Made sense that someone like Hifumi would obsess over it. _Stop judging him,_ Makoto chided himself. _He’s my friend… I think._

This time it was Hifumi who initiated the conversation. “It was worth it, you know.”

Makoto had a feeling he knew what he was talking about, but he asked anyway. “What… what was worth it, Hifumi?”

A look of smug satisfaction came over Hifumi’s face. “That rapist bastard. I’m so glad he’s dead like me. I’ll be honest – when I saw him here I almost charged him all over again. But, well, I guess there wouldn’t be a point.”

Makoto looked at him, concerned. “You… you heard when we were catching everyone up, right? Taka didn’t do anything wrong. Celeste lied to manipulate you.”

Hifumi shook his head vehemently. “No! Impossible! Ms. Yasuhiro is a queen! She would never… she would never lie to me…”

“She did kill you,” Makoto pointed out.”

Hifumi’s head slumped. “Yeah, I know. I… I guess I knew all along that she was lying to me. Mr. Ishimaru was odd, and he did try to steal Alter Ego away from me, and even with that weird new persona I just can’t believe he would do… that… to Ms. Yasuhiro. But… she must’ve been so desperate, and so scared…” He sat up straight suddenly, steam seeming to puff out of his nostrils. “If she needed someone to die, I for one am glad that I had the privilege of being her sacrifice!”

_I… I don’t think I want to know why he likes her so much._

Hifumi looked a little happier now, though. “You can go now, Mr. Naegi,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m sure you’ve got plenty of other things to do. Princess Piggles will keep me company.”

_That’s such a sad statement!_

Still, he looked sincere, and Makoto was running out of time. So he stood up, nodded to Hifumi, and walked back to Jabberwock Park.

_I don’t think I can ever be friends with someone like that, who emotionally abuses girls for fun. But… I think I understand him a little better._

For the millionth time that day, tears slipped down Makoto’s cheeks. He wiped them away absently.

_I’m sorry, everyone. I’m sorry we don’t have more time._

_I’m sorry I couldn’t save you._


	8. A Chance Encounter

Kyoko Kirigiri hadn’t meant to stay in the Neo World Program too long. She’d simply wanted to stop by, check in on things, make sure everything was in working order. Then she ran into Celestia Ludenburg.

Celeste had always interested her. Not just because her entire persona was built on lies, either, but because of the way she was able to masterfully bend everyone around her to her will. And now that she was about to never see her again, she supposed that the least she could do was say goodbye.

She was walking along the fifth island, observing the Monokuma factories (shut down since the completion of the program). Kyoko silently strode up to her.

“Hey, Kyoko.” Not Celeste’s voice – Taeko Yasuhiro’s. The reality behind the persona of Celestia Ludenburg. “What’s up?”

Kyoko tried to mask her surprise. “Not many people can detect my movements like that. You’re quite impressive even without your talent, I see.”

Celeste blushed. “Yeah, well. A lifetime of paranoia will do that to you.”

Oh. Kyoko hadn’t considered that there was some greater meaning behind her abilities. “May I ask what you mean by that, Celeste – oh, sorry, would you prefer for me to call you Taeko?”

She shook her head, smiling sheepishly. “It’s fine. Even if my secret is out, there is a certain elegance to the name Celeste that I do not wish to lose just yet.” As she spoke she slipped back into her accent like it was natural for her. “Anyway,” she said, dropping the accent once again, “it doesn’t matter. I’ve never really trusted… people.”

Kyoko nodded. “I see. Is that why you consistently acted so manipulative?”

Celeste dropped her eyes, and Kyoko immediately felt guilty. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that how it sounded. What I meant was –”

“No, it’s fine.” To her astonishment, Kyoko saw that Celeste was crying a little. “You’re not wrong. I… I’ve done some horrible things. And I never felt guilty about any of it, either. I guess I’m a monster, huh?”

“I don’t believe in monsters. I believe that the world can warp our vision until we lose sight of ourselves and the truth altogether, but I don’t believe that monsters truly exist, and if they do, you’re not one of them. You’re my friend.”

Celeste shook her head. “As expected. You always know just what to say, huh?” She shot her a puzzled look. “Wait… we’re not friends. We barely talked while I was alive. This is, like, our first conversation.”

Kyoko smiled. “True. But I have to say, you’ve always intrigued me.”

Celeste looked away. “Yeah… I guess I could say the same about you.”

“Really?” Kyoko couldn’t say she was surprised – she had been quite the mysterious figure during the killing game, after all – but she was a bit startled to learn that this walking enigma had also been curious about her. “What interested you about me?”

A blush started creeping over Celeste’s face again. “Well… I mean… you were always so calm and collected. The way you handled every situation you got yourself into was just… incredible. Not to mention you’re super pretty. But most of all, you’re… nice. You care about Makoto. You cared about all of us – it was obvious that you did, no matter how cold you acted sometimes – and… I guess what I’m trying to say is, you were everything I was but good. You were someone with incredible talent who used it to do good, and I guess I couldn’t wrap my head around that.”

Kyoko allowed herself a small smile. “Well, not such an incredible talent. I couldn’t see through all your lies, after all.”

“Yes…” Celeste was staring off into the distance. “I guess that makes sense. I guess I’m still kind of figuring out who I am.” She laughed. “How pathetic is that? I’m going to die contemplating my existence.”

The purple-haired girl turned to leave. “For the record,” she said over her shoulder, “I’m sorry we never got a chance to talk. I think you would’ve made an excellent friend.”

“Wait!”

Celeste’s hand wrapped around Kyoko’s, and she looked up, startled. Because, beyond her pitiful attempt to disguise it with an apologetic smile, Celeste was trembling like a leaf.

“I…” Celeste took a deep breath. “I’ve been alone most of my life. I’ve never really had anyone I could depend on, which I guess is why I was always so manipulative. I needed people to care about me even if I couldn’t bring myself to trust them. But… I don’t want to be alone anymore.” Tears were shining in her eyes. “Please, Kyoko. I don’t want to be alone when I die.”

Kyoko wanted to refuse. She only had an hour to get back to Jabberwock Park. If she was still there when the program went down, she would die along with everyone else. But… seeing the desperate look in Celeste’s eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. “I… I suppose I can stay for a little while.”

Before she knew what was happening, Celeste had wrapped her arms around her. “Thank you,” she whispered. She laughed again, a small, weak sound. “You know, while we’re on the record… I always thought you were pretty cute.”

“Huh?” Kyoko drew back, astonished, and Celeste took the opportunity to kiss her.

It only lasted a moment. Kyoko broke away as soon as she could. Celeste looked straight at her, unabashed. “Feel free to leave now if you want. It’s what I deserve for coming on so strong, I guess.”

She tried to step away, but Kyoko grabbed her wrist. She was blushing, but the corners of her lips were turned up in a smile. “No, it’s fine. I don’t have much experience with such things, but that was… nice.”

“Seriously?” All traces of anxiety disappeared from Celeste’s face. “Wow, thank you! I mean, that’s – wow.” She drew her in again, and they kissed again, but this time with passion, with intensity. When they broke apart both of them were gasping for air.

“Wow,” Celeste panted. “It… it really does suck that we didn’t get to know each other better, huh?”

Kyoko surprised the both of them by laughing. “Yes… this wasn’t exactly ideal timing.”

Celeste took Kyoko’s hand again. “Thank you. You really turned out to be a great… well, whatever you would call this. You can go now. I’ll be fine.”

Kyoko shook her head. “Nonsense. You said you didn’t want to be alone. I can stay with you for about half an hour. Is that okay?”

“More than okay, darling.” She moved in close, and Kyoko’s face turned fully red. Celeste giggled. “Apologies. I couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s fine. Now… where do you want to go?”

The desolate scenery of the fifth island wasn’t exactly an ideal setting. They decided to head back to the park. Celeste gripped Kyoko’s hand the whole time. Not that Kyoko minded.

By the time they arrived at Jabberwock Park the sun was beginning to set. Mondo, Taka, and Chihiro were set up at the base of the statue, laughing and joking around. Makoto was there, wiping his eyes. Other than that, the place was empty.

“You ready to go?” Makoto asked. Kyoko looked at Celeste, and some part of her wanted to say, _no, I don’t think I’ll ever be._ But that longing, desperate look had disappeared from Celeste’s eyes. She looked almost content.

“Go on,” Celeste urged. “I’ll be fine. It was a pleasure knowing you, Kyoko Kirigiri.”

Kyoko held back tears. “Likewise, Celestia Ludenburg.”

They shook hands (Kyoko almost laughed at how stuffy and professional the gesture was), and walked away, Kyoko towards Makoto, Celeste to a tree, presumably to lean against and watch the sun set.

“We’re just waiting on Hina now,” Makoto said, looking from side to side anxiously. “Jeez, what is taking her so long?”

Kyoko stared ahead for a moment. Then she grabbed Makoto, held him close. He yelped but didn’t resist. “Hey Kyoko… what are you doing?”

“I…” She wasn’t sure she should be saying any of this. But she didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. “I would like to get to know you better, if that’s all right. I would like for us to bond. Because…” Her voice was becoming choked up. “Because there’s just too much we take for granted.”

“Um…” Makoto smiled and hugged her back. “Yeah, me too.”

The two of them stood there, holding each other. Waiting for the final member of their group to return. Taking comfort in each other’s presence.

Knowing how lucky they were to have each other.


	9. The Goodbye We Deserved

More than any of the other survivors, Aoi Asahina needed closure.

She had a secret, a secret she’d never told anyone, not even her closest friends and confidants. A secret she needed to get off her chest before the person she needed to tell died. Again.

She hadn’t wanted to be there for the initial re-launch of the Neo World Program simply because she didn’t know what she’d say if she was confronted with everyone at once. She took a walk through the massive Future Foundation HQ to clear her head instead.

Unfortunately, when she finally got back to the launch room, there were only a few hours left in the program. _Shit. I need to find her, fast._

“Hey, Hina!” Mondo called when she entered into the program. “How’s it going?”

“No time!” Hina snapped. She speed-walked away, wincing. It really wasn’t like her to be this cold. But if she wanted to see her friend again, she didn’t really have a choice.

She found her at Chandler Beach with two hours to spare. “Hey!” she shouted, running up to her and waving. “Sakura!”

Sakura turned around, looking shocked. “Hina?”

Before she could say anything else, Hina attempted to tackle her in a hug and was swept off her feet instead. “I missed you so much!” Hina cried. “I’m so sorry, I would’ve come earlier, I just didn’t want to have to face everyone, and I came almost too late, and oh God, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t know you at all in the end, I thought that suicide note was really yours, I –”

Sakura put a finger to Hina’s lips, smiling. “It doesn’t matter. Truly, I’m just happy you are here now.”

“But – but –” Hina blubbered. “But I failed you! I tried to get everyone killed because I thought it was what you wanted but I was so wrong and I can’t believe I did that and I’m so so sorry!”

Sakura nodded. “I know. But you don’t need to worry, Hina. You were simply doing what you thought was right. There is nothing shameful about attempting to honor your friend’s memory, whether you judge their desires correctly or not. Especially because we did not know each other all that well.”

Hina sniffed, then nodded. “I guess you’re right. Anyway, I… I just wanted to talk to you.”

“I understand.” Sakura sat down in the sand, smiling gently. “What would you like to talk about?”

Hina sat down next to her, her heart pounding. She knew what she had to say. She had to get this off her chest. But she couldn’t work up the nerve to get the words out. “It… it feels like we’ve known each other a really long time,” she started. “I know we only knew each other for a few days, or a week, or however long it was before you… you…” She shook her head. “But it feels like we’ve been friends forever.”

“I understand that. I feel a strong connection to you as well.”  
The smaller girl took a deep breath. “Yeah. And that ties in with what I need to say to you. But first… I need to know. Do you forgive me?” She could guess what the answer was but wanted to make absolutely sure.

“Of course I do, Hina. As I said, you were only doing what you thought was right.”

“Okay.” She had gotten her answer, but she still couldn’t bring herself to say what she had to say. _Time to stall until I work up the nerve, I guess._ “I… I really respect you, and admire you. You’re so strong, not just physically but emotionally, too. You get picked on all the time for looking like a boy and being so strong, people even call you an ogre, but you never let any of it get to you. You’ve spent so much of your life working on something you’re so dedicated to, and I gotta say, I respect that a whole lot. You never give up, and… and…” Hina was struggling. What she wanted to say boiled down to those simple words, and yet she couldn’t find a way to express what she really meant. She hadn’t even reached her main point yet and she was already floundering.

“I respect you as well.”

That caught Hina off guard. “Huh? Wait, why?”

Sakura’s smile widened. “You’re always so kind, and so positive. You were my friend, despite my lack of social ability and intimidating appearance. You were the only one who tried to get to know me out of all our classmates, and you were the only one who never feared or suspected me. You are truly the light of our class.”

Tears were brimming in Hina’s eyes. “H-hey, come on… I’m nothing like that. I…” The tears broke, and Hina was sobbing. “You’re giving me way too much credit!” she shouted. “You’re the only special one here!”

Sakura put a massive hand on her back. “If you must believe that, then very well. But know that I think you are much more than you give yourself credit for.”

Hina punched the sand in frustration. “Damn it, why is this so hard?” She didn’t know why she was hesitating so much. If she wanted to get this off her chest, and she did, she needed to say it now. “I… I have something to tell you, besides all that. Something really important, and something that could really change our friendship. So before that, I want you to know how much you mean to me, and I’ll want to be your friend no matter what.”

Sakura nodded. Hina suspected she knew where this is going, but she didn’t say anything, just waited patiently. “Take your time.”

Hina squeezed her eyes shut. “I…” She snuck a glance at the setting sun, and a rush of panic forced the words out. “I’m in love with you!”

If Sakura was surprised, she didn’t show it. She simply nodded again. “I see.”

Hina’s heart sank. “It’s totally fine if you don’t feel the same way. I know you had that guy you were interested in, and you’re probably straight, and… it doesn’t matter. I just needed to say it.”

“It’s fine.” To her absolute shock, Sakura was blushing. “I… I do feel the same way about you.”

Hina thought her heart might stop. “You’re… you’re serious?”

Sakura nodded. “I’ve felt this way for quite some time. Thank you for bringing up the matter. I doubt I would have had the courage to confess had you not.”

“Oh my God, Sakura!” Hina squealed, jumping up and down. “This is so amazing! Now we can –” She looked at the steadily dropping sun again, and her heart dropped. “Oh… oh.”

“Yes,” Sakura said grimly. “It’s unfortunate we had to confess under these circumstances. Although… I am glad. A heavy weight has been lifted from my soul.”

“Yeah.” Hina nodded distractedly. “Yeah, me too.” Then her eyes lit up, and she smiled. “But… there’s still time left in the day, isn’t there?”

Sakura smiled back at her. “Yes. What do you have in –”

“SWIMMING DATE!” Hina shouted.

There wasn’t too much to say about the events which followed. They changed into swimsuits provided at the beach house. They swam. They splashed each other. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t have to. They could almost taste the love hanging in the air.

Hina didn’t realize it was getting dark until the sun was brushing up against the horizon. “Oh, crap,” she said, standing up in the water. “I’m so sorry, Sakura. I’ve got to go.”

Sakura nodded, her face betraying no emotions. “Go on, then. And please, do not feel guilty about leaving me behind. If one of us has to die, I’m glad it isn’t you.”

Tears were returning to Hina’s eyes, and she wiped them away, laughing bitterly. “Why do you always have to be so freaking noble?”

They waded to shore. Hina slipped back into her clothes. “I… I love you, Sakura.”

Sakura slipped a hand over Hina’s cheek, wiping away a tear with her thumb. “I love you as well, Hina.” Then she leaned over and kissed her, and Hina’s mind exploded.

“Holy crap that felt good,” she said when they broke away after what felt like an eternity. “I’ve only ever kissed boys before, but… _wow_ did that feel better.”

“I’m glad.” Sakura blushed. “Admittedly, I do not have much experience in that area, but… I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Hina nodded. “I’m… I’m gonna go now.”

She felt so cold, leaving Sakura behind, standing on the beach alone waiting for death. But she only had fifteen minutes left. If she wanted to make it out of this alive, she needed to hurry.

“Hey!” Makoto shouted when she reached the park. He pulled her into a hug. “Where were you? We were worried sick!”

“I…” Hina looked off into the distance. “I needed to say goodbye to someone.”

“Oh.” He nodded, understanding. He turned to Kyoko, who looked shaken but stable. “I… I guess we should go.”

“Yeah.”

There were no words exchanged as they stepped behind the statue and followed the portal back to the real world. Each of them had been through an ordeal today, something they couldn’t talk about even if they wanted to simply because there were no words for what had happened to them.

Slowly, the sun began to sink below the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if Sakura was a little out of character; I don't know why, but I find her pretty difficult to write. Anyway, we're almost at the end! Sorry it took so long to update; I have way too many ideas and this got pushed to the back burner for a while.


	10. Sunset

“What took you so long?” Byakuya shouted the moment Makoto appeared back in Future Foundation. “We were about to shut it down, you fools. You would have died if you’d stayed in there just a few minutes longer!”

Hina glared. “Shut up. It’s been a long day.”

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “Oh, really? Because I’ve been watching you through the monitors the whole time. You’ve done nothing but talk all day, wasting your time with people you’ll never see again.”

“Y-yeah,” Toko said smugly. “You all have been w-wasting your lives while Master shapes the course of the world.”

Makoto looked at Byakuya. “Why is Toko here again?”

“Seriously?” Toko snapped. “S-since I was part of this class, they w-wanted me here to say goodbye, or whatever. Not l-like there was anyone there I actually c-cared about.” Even so, she looked somewhat wistful.

“You could’ve gone in if you wanted, you know,” Makoto said. “In fact – there are still a few minutes left! Why don’t we –”

“W-what are you, an idiot? M-Master didn’t want me involved in something so i-important. He’s right, I’d just s-screw everything up.”

“I see.” Kyoko nodded. “I’m sorry about that, Toko.”

Toko flinched. “I d-don’t need your pity!”

Meanwhile, Hina was standing by the wall of monitors showing the actions of their classmates. “Does anyone else feel kinda weird about this?” she asked. “It feels kinda wrong to record them without their permission.”

Hiro shrugged. “I mean, they’re gonna be dead too soon to care.”

“Hiro!” Hina gave him her best death glare before turning back to Sakura’s monitor, running a hand over the screen. “I can’t believe this is really happening… I can’t believe we’re going to lose them again…”

“We could always try to convince the board to keep the program running,” Makoto said halfheartedly. They knew it wasn’t going to happen. Makoto and Hina had appealed to them countless times only to get back the same answer – you’re already pushing our energy limits keeping it up for one day. He looked down. “Yeah, I know. It’s stupid. Just…” He looked at Mukuro’s monitor, then Sayaka’s, and tears started appearing in his eyes. “I wish we just got some more time.”

Kyoko walked up to him. “Agreed.”

Makoto looked at her, puzzled. “Hey, who did you visit?”

The silver-haired girl cleared her throat. “It doesn’t matter. But… I wish I could have met them under different circumstances.” Makoto was shocked to see that she was beginning to cry as well. “They were… truly special.”

The survivors gathered in front of the monitors. Just a few minutes left now. Just a few minutes until they would lose their friends for the second time.

Sayaka and Leon sat on the steps of the Titty Typhoon, watching the sky change. “It’s beautiful,” Sayaka said softly.

Leon nodded. “Not a bad way to go. Kinda metal, when you think about it. Jammin’ out to the sunset.”

She smiled at him. “Yeah. I just wish…”

“What?”

She wiped a traitorous tear from her eye. “Nothing.”

Mukuro stood alone, gazing off into the distance. She was glad to be alone, in a way. She had spent so much of her life following Junko’s orders… it was kind of nice. To die independent.

So why was she crying?

The conversation between Mondo, Taka, and Chihiro had died out. No more words needed to be exchanged. Chihiro was shivering. Silently, Mondo slipped his biker jacket over the small boy’s shoulders. They had their arms around each other, holding onto each other because they knew they would never get another chance.

Hifumi sat on the beach, thinking about Celeste and Princess Piggles.

Celeste leaned against a tree, thinking about Kyoko.

Sakura closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for what was to come, thinking about Hina.

All the survivors were gathered around the monitors now. Makoto was weeping openly, and Hiro was clearly having trouble keeping it together. Hina was sobbing, holding onto a sniffling Toko for support, who was too shocked or too upset to resist. Byakuya cleared his throat. Almost on instinct, Kyoko took Makoto’s hand as silent tears ran down her face.

This was goodbye.

The sun set on the Neo World Program.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this was an emotional ride. This isn't my most popular work by any means, but I really wanted to write it because I needed closure just as much as the characters did because Spike Chunsoft loves playing with our hearts.  
> Not gonna lie: I cried a little finishing this up. I've had the final line in mind for a while now and as I was writing it Unwell by Matchbox 20 started playing and it was just too much. I'm a mess, I know.  
> Hope you liked reading this. It was really cathartic to write and I'm glad it's finally done.  
> Also, in response to a comment on Hifumi's chapter: yes, realistically Makoto probably would've been a lot more sympathetic toward him. But there were a lot of extremely professional factors that went into writing him that way, including and also limited to the fact that I'm deeply biased and I hate him. (I'm a terrible person and not ashamed to admit it.)  
> Anyway. Thanks for reading, and thanks for suffering through the world's most unnecessarily long note. Bye.


End file.
